Abandoned as a child, Dave Blanchard learned to be self-reliant at an early age. Puberty brought a distressing attraction to other boys, and an abnormal growth spurt that drove Dave further into his shell. Adulthood granted him the freedom to stand on his own two feet, but cloistered him in a plastic bubble of his own making. At seven and a half feet tall, Dave has no problem finding men for anonymous sex through sleazy backroom romps, but the experiences leave him feeling cold and unsatisfied. He dreams of love and commitment, but finding someone interested in a relationship seems like a pipe dream.

Desperate for companionship, Dave signs up for an online matchmaking service. To his utter embarrassment, his first date never shows, but his luck improves when he runs into a former foster brother, Micah Black. Dave and Micah quickly rebuild their friendship, but with it comes the resurrection of the forbidden crush Dave harbored for Micah when they were teens. Micah is off limits to Dave, but that doesn’t stop Dave’s imagination from spinning torrid scenarios involving his straight friend. When Micah’s life is threatened, Dave’s inhibitions melt away. Unfortunately, the price of one chaste kiss could mean the end of the friendship Dave wants so badly………..

THE REVIEW

At 7 1/2 feet tall Dave has difficulty relating to people in general and other men in particular. His height attracts the wrong kind of men and comments, which only fuel his feelings of insecurity and his lack of a love life. He has no friends and lives like a hermit with his dog and computer for company. His few attempts at finding love ended in disaster, and he’s at a point in his life where he has to make some decisions when old friend and a former foster brother that he had “crushed on” as a teenager, Micah Black, runs into him, literally. He should be happy, right? Well, things are never that simple in life.

Turns out that Micah was divorced so the old straight/gay thing rears its ugly head. Micah is friendly enough to Dave who loves hanging out with him and his friends but he wonders if Micah would be as welcoming to an old friend if he finds out that said friend wants to take their friendship into the stratosphere. There are signs that Micah might not be as straight as he appears but Dave, in addition to being clueless, is not willing to take a chance by making his feelings known and ruin what is becoming a wonderful friendship. Until one fateful day….

Here’s what I liked about this book. The two characters were well developed, especially Dave with all of his insecurities and angst, and Micah the live wire who could not do enough for his friend. They seemed well suited and spent time getting to know each other again. I did wonder, in passing, how the NBA could have missed this potential prize, but it may be that Dave was not at all athleticg.

The following is the part with which I had a bit of difficulty. The pace of the story was not very fast, in my opinion, and it appeared that the relationship moved in slow motion. Clearly, Dave didn’t want to screw up his new friendship, but I thought that Micah was putting the moves on Dave in a couple of places in the book, however he seemed totally unaware. I don’t know, I thought that gaydar, if it exists, would be of help in situations where one person in a relationship was clearly signaling to the other, but maybe that consciousness is not real.

To summarize: I liked the book which I found to be a good read and the characters worked for the most part. The following quote from the book is one reason why I liked it – the author’s prose –Even if it sucked.“

“There was no sense provoking the beast–namely, the one hanging between his legs. Just because Micah was sex on a stick didn’t mean that Dave had to take a lick. He could be an adult and avoid temptation.

If you like the genre you will enjoy this book despite the few inconsistencies I alluded to earlier in the review.